Brain tumor patients motivated to exercise

By Megan Rauscher

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A “relatively high” percentage
of brain tumor patients are exercising — before and after
diagnosis and treatment — at the recommended levels, a much
higher percentage than patients with other forms of cancer,
suggest the results of a survey of 106 brain tumor patients
treated at the Brain Tumor Center at Duke University in Durham,
North Carolina.

According to Dr. Lee W. Jones and colleagues, prior to
diagnosis, 42 percent of patients reported engaging in at least
150 minutes of strenuous or moderate exercise each week.

Thirty-eight percent said they exercised at this level
while undergoing treatment while 41 percent did so after the
completion of treatment. “Given the aggressive nature of
(treatment) in any cancer population, decreases in exercise
behavior during this time are not surprising,” note the authors
in the medical journal Cancer.

Brain tumor patients appear to represent a “proactive”
group when it comes to exercise, Jones and colleagues report.
It’s been estimated, for example, that only 5 to 16 percent of
patients with other cancers, such as breast cancer and colon
cancer, exercise at the recommended levels during treatment,
and only 20 to 31 percent exercise during off-treatment
periods.

The relatively young age of brain tumor patients may have
something to do with their high levels of exercise, the authors
note. The average age of the patients in the current survey was
44 years.

“The take home message,” Jones said, “is that…brain tumor
patients appear capable and motivated to engage in exercise
during their cancer treatment.”

“This study provides important preliminary data for future
studies to examine the potential clinical value of exercise
training interventions for…brain cancer patients,” Jones
added.

“Exercise may represent a supportive intervention that may
complement existing…therapies and address a multitude of
therapy-induced debilitating side effects in patients with
brain tumors,” the authors note in their report.

SOURCE: Cancer, May 15, 2006.